Often time, we ask the question: Are people doing enough to develop rural communities? If they are, are these developments sustainable?

This is the idea behind our new series –Rural Pulse. Each week, we will feature people living and working in rural communities, asking them about how best to develop even some of the continent’s most marginalised communities.

This week, which is the first in the line of series, we ask Segun Adefila, a theatre practitioner and development worker who grew up in Bariga, one of the infamous rural communities on the mainland of Lagos. Adefila still live and work in Bariga, using his artistic tool to empower his community especially the young people.

Here is Adefila’s comment on Rural Pulse:

‘Grow where you are planted. I am in Bariga, I live in Bariga and I am going to develop Bariga in my own way even though I am not the Governor of Lagos state or the Chairman of the local government. However, with the sphere of my influence, I can be a candle. When you are empowering others, what you are doing is that you are lightening your own part of the world.

The skyscrapers and rockets we see were not made by God. They are man-made and God has given us talents. Look at our kids, anywhere they go in the world, they are making exploits. In schools abroad, they are one of the most brilliant pupils. Why? Because they do not have to think about malfunctioning social amenities. He will think: ‘only me, I don’t have to worry about anything but to read. I will read and understand. In fact, I will over-understand self.’

To be good takes a lot of effort. We are all work in progress. I am not close to it but I see a lot of people that I admire who are rich not in possession, but in value. 

So I will say grow where you are planted and develop where you are.’